Jung Yong Hwa Named Top Hallyu Icon By Weibo
Actor-singer Jung Yong Hwa has topped China's Weibo chart as the top Hallyu icon for two weeks in a row. He is popular in China for several reasons. He is not only the charismatic leader of the band CN Blue, but he's also a popular actor, having recently completed the first season of the historical drama "The Three Musketeers." In that adaptation of the French novel he plays the idealistic loyal Park Dal Hyang who gives up his life to serve the Crown Prince. Jung Yong Hwa was a star in China before his first drama appearance and he only became more popular after he played the sweet second lead Shin Woo in the musical comedy "You're Beautiful."
The Weibo chart, which measures Jung Yong Hwa's icon status, is compiled by China's SNS business group Weibo. A star's status is determined by fan loyalty and the number of times that star is mentioned on social media. Jung Yong Hwa has ranked in first place since Nov. 17. He earned almost 20,000 points due to the number of times his name was mentioned on Weibo. He also earned points from the number of times that fans gifted him symbolic "flowers" to show their loyalty and appreciation. This combined with the score of his Weibo index earned him 100 percent on the Weibo chart
Jung Yong Hwa is the first Korean celebrity to reach 100 percent on the Weibo chart with a combined score from the different categories.
He may owe his excellent score to more than his accomplishments in film and music. His score may also be improved by his sincere efforts to communicate with his Chinese fans. He recently uploaded a photo of himself eating Chinese food after his band performed in a concert in Nanjing. That photo was appreciated by Chinese fans and prompted lots of positive comments.
The photo was taken after his band CN Blue visited Nanjing as part of the band's 2014 CN Blue Live Concert - Can't Stop Concert on Nov. 29.
The most popular male Hallyu stars in China, according to Weibo, include actors Lee Min Ho, Jang Geun Suk, Lee Jun Ki, Lee Hongki, Jung Il Woo, and Kim Soo Hyun.
Popular actresses include Park Shin Hye and f(x)'s Victoria, who appears in Chinese productions and is a Chinese citizen.
